Nail puller



E. E. STEFFANUS 2,796,232

NAIL FULLER June 18, 1957 Filed Oct. 4, 1954 7 27 I Z5 Q: 26

INVENTOR.

JZZMLM/ U it S a s P e f U This inve ntion relatestoia nail pulling device and has for an objectto providea nail puller that is power operable and isadapted to, be driven by means such as a motor, handdrill, etc. V V

Another object of the invention is to provide a nail puller that uses the feed propertiesofa helix and, by rotating such a helix, exerts a powerful force to pull anail. v t.

,Another object of the invention is to provide a' nail pullerthat Withdraws a nail in a straight line, obviating bends-in thenail and enabling reuse thereof, as desired. The invention also has for its objects to provide such Patented June 18, 1957 cal projection io throughwhich'me helix extends, said projection having its circular endedge provided with saw teeth or serrations 17.; Otherwise, the body part 13 is provided withan end abutment face 18 that limits the penetration of projection 16 into a board-19 or other member into which a nail 20 has been driven. A shoulder 21 is defined between the main portion of part 13 and threaded extension 14.; n

. Theanchor means 7 comprises a tubular part 22 that is loosely fitted over body part 13 and has an upper in wardly directed flange 23 to engage over shoulder 21.

, The part 22 terminates in an endface 24 that is substantially flush with face; 18; of the body. Since extension 14 is smaller 'diametrallythan both body parts 9 and 13, anchor part 22 is held loosely captive between the shoulder 20 and the adjacent end of part 9.

, Said part 22 mountsaj pan of anchor pins 25 that are on diametrically opposite sides of said part and are guided in longitudinally spaced ears '26. A coil spring 27 around each pin between'the ears thereof abuts the upperear and an abutment washer 28 on the pin. Thus,

said springs normally bias the, pins in a direction to means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, I

easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises'novel details of con- However, the drawing "merely way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a partial elcvational and partial longitudinal sectional view of a nail puller according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lower portion of the nail puller.

The nail puller that is illustrated comprises, generally, a two-part rotational body 5, nail pulling means 6 embodied in said body, and temporary anchor means 7 holding the body centered over a nail while pulling the same.

The device that is illustrated is adapted to have its body 5 rotated, as by a hand drill motor of which the chuck 8 is shown in the drawing.

The body 5 comprises an elongated part 9 provided, at one end, with a shank 10 removably engageable in chuck 8 or like connecting means. Said body part 9 is formed to have a passage 11 that is arranged on a longitudinally directed slope being the side of said part near the shank end and the center of said part at the opposite end. An internal thread 12 in said body part is provided from the latter end of the passage 11 and the end of said part opposite to shank 10. Said passage 11 constitutes a nail ejecting opening in the body part 9.

The body 5 includes a part 13 that has an externally threaded end 14 connected to internal thread 12. Centrally longitudinally of body part 13 there is provided the internal helix 6 that is of the right hand providing rotation of body 9 is right handed. Said helix has a land 15 that is of the square lead screw type in which the land may be transversely downwardly and inwardly sloped substantially as shown. Said helix extends completely through body part 13 and terminates at the top in register with the lower end of ejection passage 11. The lower end of the part 13 is provided with a cylindristriuction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear'in the course of the following description. 'shows and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which isg'iven by 1 toolcentered on the; nail. Since the inner face of proprojectthe'sharp ends 29 beyond the face 26 and also beyond the serrated edge of tubular projection 16, as in Fig; 2. In operation, 'the' projection 16 is placed over the head 39913 a nail 2 0 ;to be'pulled and the tool pressed in the direction of; th e board;19 to cause the sharp ends 30 29 of pins 25* to penetrate partly into said board. Then,

rotation ofthebody 9jis started by operation'of the tool mounting chuck 8 to cause serrations '17 to cut into the board 19 around the head 30 of said-nail. Further penetration of pins 25 will'lresult and member 22 will thereby be held stationary and ibecome-a means for holding the jection is conical, 'as shown, the; same will torce its way into the board and bring the first convolution of helix 6 into engagement with nail head 30. It will be clear that as the body 5 is rotated, the helix, in the manner of a screw conveyor, withdraws the nail, first, to the position of 20a and, then, as another nail is pulled, displaces it upwardly in passage 11 to position 2%. Pulling of a third nail will dislodge nail from passage 11 or the same may be cleared by upwardly tipping the tool.

Since the nail is being pulled in a. straight line, the same may be re-used if not otherwise damaged. The power of the tool for the present purposes will readily be recognized, since it will require several revolutions of the bodythe number depending on the pitch of the helix and length of the nail-to completely withdraw a nail. Nevertheless, the operation is rapid because of the power drive on chuck 8.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course subject to modification-without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A nail-pulling tool comprising a rotatable body having an axis of rotation, anchor means to center the body over the head of a nail when the body is rotating, and a helix centered on said axis and having a land provided in said body, said helix land defining an internal passage, the end of the land directed toward the nail head being adapted to engage thereunder to pull the head into the helix passage during rotation of the body.

2. A nail-pulling tool comprising a rotatable body having an axis of rotation, anchor means to center the body over the head of a nail when the body is rotating, a helix centered on said axis and having a landprovided in said body, said helix land defining an interval passage, the end of the land directed toward the nail head being adapted to engage thereunder to pull the head into the helix passage during rotation of the body, anda passage in the body forming an upper extension of the helix passage and terminating at the side of said body to constitute a nail ejecting passage.

3. A nail-pulling tool according to claim 1: a tubular extension on the body and through which the helix extends, said end of the land being disposed in said extension and the latter being adapted to penetrate into material around a nail head while a nail is being pulled.

4. A nail-pulling tool according to claim 1: a tubular extension on the body and through which the helix extends, said end of the land being disposed in said extension, said extension having cutting serrations on the end thereof to cut into material around a nail head while a nail is being pulled. I

5. A nail-pulling tool comprisinga two-part body of elongated form and having an end shank adapted to be driven to rotate said body, a longitudinal passage in the body part having the shank and arranged on a slope from the lower center to the upper side of said part, a longitudinal internally hollow feed helix in the other body part and in register with the lower end of said passage, an anchor member around said other body part, and means carried by said member to penetrate into a surface around the head of a nail to be pulled by said tool to hold the tool centered over the head while the end of said helix engages under the nail head to draw the nail into the helix.

6. A nail-pulling tool according to claim 5: the body, intermediate its ends, being provided with a reduced portion, and the anchor member having an inwardly directed flange extending into said reduced portion to retain said member and body connected.

7. A nail-pulling tool according to claim 5: a tubular extension on said other body part and through which said helix extends, said helix having a land the end of which is disposed in said extension and adapted to engage under and draw the nail head into the helix upon rotation of the body.

8. A nail-pulling tool according to claim 5: a tubular extension on said other body part and through which said helix extends, said helix having a land the end of which is disposed in said extension and adapted to engage under and draw the nail head into the helix upon rotation of the body, said extension having serrations on the end thereof and adapted to penetrate into said surface immediately around the nail head and within the points of penetration of the means carried by the anchor member.

9 A nail-pulling tool comprising atubular body member provided with laterally-directed guide means, resiliently projected pin means carried by the guide means and enterable into material in which a nail has been driven to hold said member non-rotationally rela tive to said nail, a rotational member within said body member and provided with an extension above said body member adapted to be rotated to rotate the rotational member, and an internal helix disposed on the axis of rotation of the rotational member and defined by a helical land that has an end terminating at the end of said latter member that is directed toward the nail to engage under the head to said nail and pull the same from the material therearound when the rotational member is being rotated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 470,001 Howard Mar. 1, 1892 620,426 Danzer Feb. 28, 1899 686,540 Salo Nov. 12, 1901 1,262,131 Stewart Apr. 9, 1918 1,372,890 MacDonald Mar. 29, 1921 

